Appointment of Dee Jenkins to Yavapai County Board

During a meeting on April 16, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors appointed Dee Jenkins, the current Mayor of Camp Verde, to fill a District 2 seat that became vacant.

This vacancy arose after James Gregory resigned from his position on February 19 to become police chief in Williams.

Jenkins was among the applicants for the role, which included Cornville resident Wiley Klein, who lost to Gregory in the 2024 Republican primary, as well as small business owner John Hughes, Tony Utz from Utz Metalcraft, and Thomas Thurman, a former superintendent of Yavapai County who held the same seat from 2005 to 2021.

Before casting votes, the board interviewed each applicant, discussing concerns about potential disconnects between Prescott and Verde Valley, particularly regarding service provision. They also explored the challenges facing the board and each candidate’s vision for the county.

After these discussions, Vice-President Brooks Compton proposed appointing Jenkins. Following a bit of back-and-forth, where District 4 Supervisor Chris Kunyo and District 3 Supervisor Nikki Check briefly considered a different course, they ultimately returned to Compton’s original motion. Jenkins was appointed after the board’s executive session, which focused on Jenkins’s resignation as mayor, a step he had to take before officially starting his new role.

Marie Moore, the Vice Mayor of Camp Verde, stepped in as mayor following Jenkins’s appointment.

Camp Verde’s Town Manager, Miranda Fisher, indicated that they will provide more information in May regarding how they will fill the empty town council seat.